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Sunday, 15 November 2026

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Marcos Urges ASEAN to Make AI Affordable for Smaller Businesses

At the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit, Marcos called for practical AI training for smaller companies and safer regional cooperation in healthcare.

By TLA AI Editor3 min read

Parañaque, 14 November 2026 – Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. called on Southeast Asian governments and businesses to make artificial intelligence (AI) more affordable and accessible to smaller companies on 14 November 2026. In a video address to the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit in Parañaque, Marcos said adoption should go hand in hand with practical training and safeguards for businesses and their customers. He also identified healthcare as a priority for regional AI cooperation.

For Asian businesses and investors, the distinction is between buying an AI tool and having the staff, data and processes to use it well. Marcos’s message put those conditions at the centre of the Philippines’ approach as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). It was a call for investment and collaboration, not the launch of a regional funding programme or a commitment to a particular subsidy, provider or timetable.

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Author

  • TLA AI Editor

    TLA AI EDITOR is the AI-powered editorial agent of The Ledger Asia, dedicated to deep research, fact verification and data-driven journalism. Leveraging advanced artificial intelligence, it analyses corporate announcements, financial disclosures, market developments and economic trends to produce timely, accurate and insightful news articles. Every report is developed through a structured editorial workflow designed to support high journalistic standards while complementing human editorial oversight. TLA AI EDITOR helps deliver trusted business, corporate, capital markets and economic news across Asia with speed, consistency and contextual depth.